I love picking the best yarns to share with you for the Skipton studio and on the website. Luckily, we have lots to choose from, as there is a growing number of spinners making beautiful yarns for us to knit and crochet with.
When I first opened the Skipton studio in 2010, the choice was very different. It’s been wonderful to see how much it has expanded and grown over the last 15 years.
I remember opening the doors with my carefully chosen selection of yarns and what felt like a *huge* range of circular needles. Huge because I stocked 40cm, 80cm and 100cm circulars, in metal and bamboo, in all sizes. At the time, most knitters were used to knitting on straight needles.
I gently shared the joys of knitting on circulars – even knitting flat – and how you really only need a 40cm needle for most projects. And yet, I was exactly the same. I happily knitted away on my bamboo straights.
That was until a trade show, back in my previous life as a Sales & Marketing Manager for a yarn distributor. I was knitting quietly on my straights when Thomas Selter of Addi walked past and said, “You should be knitting on circulars.”
The first time I smiled.
The second time I said, “Thank you, I like my straights.”
The third time I said, “I don’t have any circulars.”
He replied, “I do,” and came back with a selection.
Out of politeness, I tried them… fully intending to switch back once he’d left the stand.
Oh my. I loved them. And I haven’t used straight needles since.
Now there are so many patterns written for circular needles that it’s been a while since I’ve had to explain why they’re so good. And just like yarn, the choice of needles has grown enormously.
So why am I writing about circular needles in a blog called ByLaxtons Sale? I’ve no idea. This is how my knitting brain works. I start thinking about beautiful yarn and then drift into all the other things that make knitting joyous.
And while it’s said that a bad workman blames their tools, the right tools really do make a difference. Just like the right yarn.
As much as I like to think that 4 Mount Pleasant is a TARDIS, there’s only so much yarn I can fit inside. So every now and then, to welcome new yarns into the Purl &Jane family, I have to make some space.
This time, it’s ByLaxtons Sheepsoft DK and Aran that we’re saying au revoir to. Sometimes yarns come back after a few years, sometimes longer. That’s the nature of a studio like this.
Sheepsoft is a classic yarn, which means it works beautifully with classic Purl &Jane patterns.
For the DK, there’s the Bluebell Jumper, Harper Cardigan, Stannington Cardigan, Dochas Scarf and Jordan Hat.
For the Aran, it makes a wonderful Philippa Jumper, Marian Cardigan, or simple one-hank projects like the Bempton Hat or Mittens.
And right now, it’s all available at a lovely price.
Grab an amazing bargain while it’s here.